Extrusion mechanism



Dec. 1, 1942. D. Mel.. FROTHINGHAM 2,303,349

.ExTRusIoN MEcH-ANISM A Filed April 1. i940 4 sheets-sheet 1 l INVENTOR.DoNALnMgLFmrH/NGHAM ATTORNEYS.

1, 1942- l D. Mel.. FROTHINGHAM 2,303,349

EXTRUS ION MEGHANISM Filed April 1, 1940 4 sheets-Sheet 2 .N .b Y

INVENTOR DONALD MgL. FRoTH/NGHAM BY #if d ATroRNEYs.

Dec. 1, 1942.

D. MCL. FROTHINGHAM Filed April 1, 1940 4 sheets-sheet :s

MEQ@

INVENTOR.

BY vDONALD MLFRorH//vc De@ l, 1942. D. Mci.. FROTHINGHAM 2,303,349

ExTRusIoN MECHANISM Fild April 1, 1940 4 sheets-sheet 4 M 7 s @beau www@y hn D ma s 3Q|||||||||||l|||| vll lWk///PVWWl/Wv y Nv mm'g 4% Il f @NKIhm, Om,... ...J .M J 3% QWW\ INN.,1lfllxll .uw l .mmv

ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 1, '1942 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE EXTRUSIONMECHANISM Donald McL. Frothingham, Noroton, Conn., as-

signor to Ferrex Corporation, New York, N. Y., a. corporation ofDelaware Application April 1, 1940, Serial No. 327,172

4 Claims.

'I'his invention is directed to a machine for forming material underpressure and particularly to a machine for extrusion under large totalpressures.

Extrusion presses4 are well knownV in the art,`

but have been heretofore limited in size due to the available powercapacity to drive the press. This has resulted in a limitation either inthe cross-section extruded or in the type of material handled. Foryinstance, if a relatively soft material were handled it could beextruded in relatively large cro'ss-section and, on the other hand, amaterial resistant to extrusion required so much force that the extrudedcross-section was necessarily quite small.

AInsofar as I am aware a cardinal diiculty in building extrusion pressesof large capacity has been the provision of a. separable connectionbetween the power source, generally including a tlyWheel or the like,and the die mechanism which, while positive in action, could also handlei very large total pressures. Any of the clutch devices at present knownare open to objection because they vare not capable of transmitting. therequired load except in sizes so large as to be prohibitive; it beingunderstood that I contemplate the useof extrusion pressures totalingseveral thousand tons.

The chief bject of my invention has been to provide a connection betweena power source and the die mechanism proper Which'can be easily made andbroken to permit extrusion or to permit the idle travel of the source ofpower during reloading of the die. Since it is not practical to stop thepower source after such extrusion stroke, in the interests of powereconomy, a further object has been to provide a ywheel or other sourceof kinetic energy which can be built up in power capacity while a die isbeing reloaded and then positively connected through themedium of myinvention to the die assembly for the actual extrusion stroke.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing' and related ends,A saidinvention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described andparticularly pointed out in the claims; the annexed drawings and thefollowing description setting Iforth in detail certain means of carryingout the invention, such disclosed means illustrating, however, but oneof various ways'in which ciple of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings: v

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a machine embodying my invention;

the prin- Fig. 2 is an enlarged view showing part of the mechanism ofFig. l in an inactive position;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the mechanism in position forextrusion;

Fig.'4 is a section through Fig. 2 as indicated by the lines thereon;

Fig. 5 is a section through Fig. 2 4as indicated by the lines 5-5thereon;

Fig. 6 is a detail section as indicated by the lines 6 6 on Fig. 2; and

Fig. 7 is a wiring diagram showing the controls for the machine.

In general my invention contemplates the use of a flywheel driven from asuitable power source and operative to drive a crankshaft, to which isaffixed a slide. A ram and die assembly for exl trusion are mountedopposite to the die slide and spaced therefrom. An interposer is mount-lY the inactive position the interposer permits free reciprocation of theslide without movement of the die assembly during the slug changinginterval. At the same time the flywheel can continue to rotate and buildup suicient kinetic energy to actuate the die assembly through the slideand interposer on the next extrusion stroke.

Means are provided toA return the driven part of the die assembly at theconclusion of the extrusion cycle to its initial position and automaticcontrol mechanism is provided to insure the working of the parts linsynchronism.

In the following specication the interposer is described as locateddirectly between the slide and an extrusionram to force the latter intothe die. It will be understood that alternative arrangements are withinthe scope of my invention. For instance, the interposer canbe mountedbehind the die, in which position it will not act on the ram if this isdesired.

Referring now to Fig. l, on a suitable foundation I provide a pair of'bearing pedestals I 0 which receive a jack-shaft lI2 carrying aflywheel I4. Theiiywheel I4 is V-belt driven' as at l5 from a, motor I6,or other source of power.

A crankshaft is mounted parallelwith the/ jackshaft and is journalled ina frame I1 ofthe mechanism. At each end of Tthe crankshaft are bullgears I8 which are driven from pinions 20 carried by the jackshaft. Bythis arrangement it is possible to employ a ilywheel of relatively-small size and rotate the lsame at a, speed sutilcient to impart thedesired R. P. M. to the crankremovably bolted to an interposer block 38hereafter described.

To absorb the operating thrust of the crankshaft end plates 31 areprovided which directly receive the thrust from the crankshaft bearings.The end plates 35 and 31 are connected by heavy tie rods 40, capped ateach end as at 42. Thus the operating strains during extrusion are nottransmitted primarily through the base of the machine, but are carriedby the tie rods 40.

The interposer block 38 is mounted for reciprocating movement in thedovetail slot 30. Both the slide and the blockare adapted to be operatedas a unit during extrusion by the use of a mechanical interposer. Tothis end the slide '28, as best shown in Fig-3, is formed at its freeendl with a series of parallel sided teeth 45. 'I'he space between eachopposing pair of teeth is'indicated at 45 and is of a widthcorresponding to the tooth Width plus sliding clearance.

The mechanical interposer, indicated at 48, is provided with a series ofteeth 58 corresponding to the teeth 45. Spaces between the teeth 50, asindicated at I, are provided corresponding to the spaces 45. From thedescription thus far it will be apparent that the interposer, if movedtransversely of the slide, may assume one of -two positions, either theteeth 45 may be received in slots 5I and the teeth 5D in slots 45 forrelative telescoping, or the teeth 50 and 45 may be in abutment. Theformer position is shown in Fig. 2 and the latter in Fig. 3.

To permit transverse movement of the interposer with respect to thelink, the former is slidably mounted in a dove-tail way 53 formed in theinterposer block 38 (Fig. 4). To shift the interposer as indicated,mechanism as lshown in Figs. 2, 3 and 6 is provided.

This shifting mechanism comprises an air cylinder 55 in which isslidingly carried a piston 55r suitably sealed with respect to thecylinder side walls. A piston rod 51 protrudes through one end of thecylinder 55 and terminates in a pair of annular shoulders 58 and 58.Compressed air or oil under prsure may be admitted to either side of thepiston 58 by fluid lconnections 80 and 5 The interposer is engaged bythe aforesaid E mechanism through the medium of an arm 53 formed asshown in Figs. 2 and 6 and extending outwardly therefrom. In theposition shown in Fig. 3, the extrusion position, the arm 53 has beencarried from between the shoulders 58 and` switches and 1i mounted to beengaged by centric 85 is provided on the crankshaft.

a cheek of the crankshaft during rotation. The

switches are located to be engaged near the end of the ram withdrawalstroke and to this end are positioned on the left-hand side of thecrankshaft axis (Fig. 4) Both are mounted to be engaged while the link22, in its withdrawn position, is at the period of dwell of thecrankshaft. The iirst switch engaged during rotation is the switch 1Iand the second engaged is the switch 10. These may be positioned as muchas seven or eight degrees on either side of dead center, depending onthe clearance required and provided for traversing movement of theinterposer.

As the switch 1| is closed, current from supply lines 13 and 14 actuatesa solenoid 15 to shift a valve 15 to the position shown in Fig. '1. Thisopens the'line 5I from the cylinder 55 to exhaust and the line 50 to airintake, thus moving the piston 55 toward the bottom -of Fig. 2, shiftingthe interposer from the position of Fig. 3 to the idle position of Fig.2. It will be understood that at this time the arm 53 is between theshoulders 58 and 58. This action takes place at the end of an extrusioncycle and, because the interposer is already in the shifted position,such action will not take place during succeeding idle strokes of theslide prior to the next extrusion stroke.

As the crankshaft continues its rotation, the limit switch 10 is closed.This switch is electrically connected with a manual starting switch 50and through it operates to close a circuit, en-

- ergizing al solenoid 82 by which the valve 16 is shifted from theposition of Fig. 7 to a position in which the line 50 is connected toexhaust and the line 5I to air intake. In this position it is apparentthat the piston 56 will be moved upwardly with respect to Fig. 2 andshift the interposer from the position of that )figure to the positionof Fig. 3. In this latter position all 'of the free travel of the slide28 is eliminated and its idle reciprocation is converted into anextrusion stroke, by which the ram 38 is forced home into the die 35. l

The starting switch must be closed in order that the closing of thelimit switch 10 shall be effective to shift the interposer and effect anextrusion stroke. In other words, after the parts have been returned tothe position of Fig. 2, the closing of the limit switch 18 during eachcycle of operation, will have no effect on the apparatus unless themanual starting switch 80 is also momentarily closed. The two switches10 and 1I open as soon as the cam surface of the crankshaft cheek, bywhich they are actuated has passed thereby.

To return the ram 38 to the position shown in Fig. 1, namely, withdrawnfrom the die, an ec- A collar 85 embraces the eccentric and is connectedby a tie rod 81 with an -arm on the interposer block 38. It will benoted that the connection is not positive, but is effected by means of aspring 88 positioned between the block and a nut 38 carried on the rod.Thus, the extruding motion of the ram is not interfered with, but uponremoval of the pressure causing the extruding motion the spring 88,being of sulcient strength, withdraws the ram from the dieand returns itto its initial position, simultaneously returning the arm 53 to aposition between the shoulders 58 and 58. l

In the matter of timing the parts, it will be apparent that the limitswitch 1| must be so mounted that it will not close until engagement iseffected between the said two shoulders and ing switch 80 then closed.The flywheel and crankshaft which have been in continuous rotation willassume a position where the limit switch is also closed. This energizesthe solenoid 82 and shifts the valve 16 to cause piston 56 to move theinterposer from the idly telescoping position of Fig. 2 to the abuttingposition of Fig. 3. As the crankshaft continues to be rotated thebuiltup'kinetic energy of the flywheel I4 is transmitted to the yslide28 and, through the interposer, to the ram 38, driving the same home inthe die 35, the extrusion thrust being absorbed by the tie rods 40.

At the end of the extrusion stroke the crank-v shaft has passed deadcenter and the engaging pressure between the'slide 28, the block 39 andtheinterposer is removed. Hence the spring pressure of the spring 88 issuicient to withdraw the ram 38 from the die 35 and cause the same tofollow closely -the return movement of the slide 28, carrying with itthe interposer. Just prior to the time the crankshaft has reached theposition where the switch 1I is closed, the arm 63 has again'` passedinto the position between the v shoulders ,58 and 59. Thus, when theswitch 1| is closed, the switch 10 being yet open, the piston 56 is.shifted as'above described to bring the interposer from the activeposition of Fig. 3 to the telescoping inactive position of Fig. 2. Asthe crankshaft continues its rotation and closes the switch 70 there isno transverse shifting oi' the interposer because the switch 30 willremain sion assembly comprising a ram element and a die elementmovable'relative to each other and a rigid interposer mounted forsliding movement transversely and in line of the direction of the lslidemovement from an inactive position to a position for` transmitting forcefrom said slide to said extrusion assembly to effect relative movementbetween said ram and die, in combination fluid controlled cylinder andpiston means capable of shifting said interposer transversely of vsaidslide at a predetermined time in the cycle of operation ofsaid'crankshaft, electric means actuated by said crankshaft -forcontrolling said cylinder and piston means and resilient meansnormallytending to draw an element of said.

assembly and said slide relatively toward each other.

open and will not be again closed until a. new

slug of material has been placed in the die and all is ready for thenext extrusion stroke.

Other forms may be employed embodying the features of my inventioninstead of the one herein explained, change being made as regards themeans herein disclosed, provided the elements stated -by any oi thefollowing claims lor the equivalent of such stated elements be employed:

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. In extrusion apparatus comprising a source of power, a crankshaftoperatively connected thereto, -a slide reciprocated by said shaft, anextrusion assembly comprising a ram and die movable relatively to eachother and a rigid interposer mounted for sliding movement transverselyand in line of the direction of the slide movement from an inactiveposition tn a position for transmitting force from said slide to saidextrusion Vassembly to eiTect relative movement between said ram anddie. in combination hydraulic means capable of shifting said interposertransversely of said slide at a predetermined time in the cycle ofoperation of the crankshaft and electric means actuated by saidcrankshaf for controlling said hydraulic means. v

2. In extrusion apparatus comprising a power source, a crankshaftoperatively connected thereto, a slide reciprocated thereby, an extru-3. In an extrusion apparatus comprising a source ofpower,.a crankshaftoperatively connected thereto, a slide reciprocated by said shaft, anextrusion assembly comprising a ram and die movable relatively to eachother and a rigid interposer mounted for sliding movement transverselyand in line of the direction of the slide movement from an inactiveposition to a position for transmitting force from said slide to saidextrusion assembly to effect relative movement between said ram and die,said slide and said interposerv being formed with iurcated ends oppositeto one anotherfand capable of idly telescoping or standing in abutmentin the driving position, a cylinder mounted with its axis transverse tothe movement of said slide, a piston in said cylinder and anelectrically controlled valve ltoalternately apply fluid pressure toopposite sides of said piston to shift said interposer transversely withrespect to said slide to an idle or abutting position with respect tosaid slide, as desired.

4. In an .extrusion apparatus comprising a source of power, a crankshaftoperatively connected thereto, a slide reciprocated by saidshaft, anextrusion assembly comprising a ram and die movable relatively to eachother and a rigid interposer mounted for sliding movement transverselyand in line of the direction of the slide movement 'from an inactiveposition to a position for transmitting force from said slide to saidextrusion assembly to efl'ect relative movement between said ram anddie, said-slide and said interposer being formed with furcated endsopposite to one another and capable of, idly tele-

